P is for 道

is for michi, or the Japanese word for Path. The trail marks the path, literally and figuratively, and Japan has no shortage of roads for you to travel. Whether you’re planning to embark on the 88-Temple Pilgrimage, or simply taking a short Sunday stroll, there is always a new one awaiting you. Paths line gardens, temples, shrines, the alleys of small town shops. Some roads are so small as to be more suitable for walking, than driving. There are paths (real and perceived) through the mountains, and forests.

I have noticed that the “paths” in Japan have been particularly artful. Their creation is measured and considered, not like the wild, or straight and narrow perpendiculars I am used to in the states. The paths are purposeful, yet feel natural. I regret that I could not walk them all before leaving.

The fifth image from the bottom reminds me of paths we used to walk in Somerset when I was a teenager. Almost haphazard stones and logs to make steps that were as likely to trip you as to help up the slope 🙂 Love pictures – wow , that’s some significant snow.
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I read that somewhere (in a garden book, I think) about paths being artful, measured and considered. I’d like to say I think of them like that… but sometimes it just has to get you form A to B. Maybe I’ll give it more thought.

Oh, Alex. Visually, this has to be one of my all-time favorite posts of yours. I am so drawn to paths, and the Japanese are truly first-rate in this department. Boy, do they have exquisite style and taste and art in their crafting of walkways. I’m now putting the 88 paths on my bucket list. I’ve got to find a way to cross a few of those off. I must see those bamboos!
I hope your artful soul will not feel discouraged by settling back into what North America has to offer on a daily basis. Perhaps you can post a few of the exceptional snow plowed routes in an effort to encourage Canadians to take more artistic pride with the winter chores? 😛

What stories I’ve conjured in my mind from those images alone! I love exploring, and particularly enjoy to see where a path leads me. I’m always struck my inspiration when I’m out walking, surrounded by the beauty of our world 🙂

Okay, this could be an entire book, like a coffee-table book: your gorgeous photos of paths with short stories accompanying each one. It would be such a peaceful book to come home to after a busy day. I love these images; each path makes me so curious, and I want to keep walking beyond where the photo ends.

The Japanese have certainly deified the path and turned it into an art form. I’ve always loved Robert Frost’s “The Road Less Taken” and that would be a perfect introduction to these paths. I just had this real spiritual sense come over me just looking at your photos. I have also just remembered that our local art gallery has a Japanese garden and it is now autumn so the perfect time to viisit. I am defnitely going to make the most out of my local area instead of wishing I could be some place else. xx Rowena